


Clue: Final Fantasy XIII Edition

by jlbassmaster (Airwing)



Category: Final Fantasy XIII
Genre: Clue (Movie) - Freeform, Gen, Parody
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-27
Updated: 2013-01-27
Packaged: 2017-11-27 05:07:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 16,933
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/658321
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Airwing/pseuds/jlbassmaster
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A parody of the movie Clue, our favorite heroes find themselves in a very strange situation. Who do they trust? Who committed the crime? Nobody is safe!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> _Author’s Notes: Clue is one of my favorite movies of all time, and out of nowhere the idea of crossing over with the cast of FFXIII popped into my head. If you aren’t familiar with the movie you may not have as much of an appreciation for this fic, but it should be a fun read either way. Thanks go to G-AnakinRPG and JJC for their encouragement to write this. In case you didn’t know, this is alternate universe, no pairings, no ‘adult’ content. Enjoy ☺_

Near Vile Peaks, Cocoon

Cid Raines pulled his transport vehicle around the edge of one of the many rocky hills of the edge of the Vile Peaks, pausing a moment only to press a number of buttons on a small keypad before a shut iron gate in the middle of the path. He left the gate open, as if expecting visitors. He finally pulled up in front of a large home, an imposing looking building that was not at all inviting. It had few windows on its flat slate colored walls with a flat roof to match.

Raines shut off the power to his transport, parking it in the driveway of the house. He got out, taking with him a small paper bag. He noted the thunder off in the distance as he approached the front porch. Two beasts about the size of a human standing on all fours growled at him, held back only by steel cables. Raines didn't so much as flinch as he took something out of the bag - a large piece of raw meat. He tossed it underhand to the waiting mouths, which eagerly took it, both setting down on the ground and chewing the hock. He turned away from the beasts and stepped up to the front door. He took something out of his pocket - a keycard. He swiped it through the slot beside the door, heard a click, and then opened it, stepping inside. 

The inside of the house was much more inviting than the outside. It was very modern - the signs of a wealthy owner. Two closed doors stood to the left before a large staircase with a carpet leading down from the second floor - the lounge and dining room, respectively. To his right were doors to a study, library, and recreation room. Under the staircase was the entrance to the basement and a small bathroom. A small hall to the right of that led to the kitchen, greenhouse, and ballroom. Yes, so many rooms for various purposes were clear signs of wealth. 

Raines removed the black hat and overcoat he had been wearing and hung them up in the small closet directly next to the front door. He glanced around the large hallway as if searching for something. The faint sound of music can be heard coming from the library. Slightly annoyed, he walked briskly across the way and opened the doors to the library. Inside was Jihl, the house maid. A beautiful woman with wavy hair that reached past her waist, simple eyeglasses, and a warm smile, she was dancing in place as she set up several clear conical stemmed wine glasses on a tray, pouring a white wine. Raines pressed a button on the music player and silenced the sound. Jihl looked up to see that he had entered the room.

"Is everything ready for this evening?" Raines questioned. Jihl nodded and smiled. "You remember your instructions I gather?" Again she nodded and smiled. Satisfied, he turned and left, closing the set of doors behind him. It was time to inspect the kitchen.

The large kitchen was mostly white inside, the only color being the metallic refrigerator and freezer, as well as the island cooking table in the center of the room, a stove set into one of the countertops, and a rack of pots and pans hanging from the ceiling. A small visual screen was sitting atop one of the countertops, the news broadcasting.

"Will everything be ready for dinner, Lebreau?" Raines asked the young woman chopping away at vegetables. She was pretty - medium length black hair tied into a bun and very little makeup. She wore a classic cook's outfit, complete with a cap.

"Dinner will be ready by seven thirty," she answered in a lighthearted tone, turning around from her task, knife in hand. Had Raines stood any closer, he would have been cut when she turned. That was one thing Lebreau was bad at - taking care not to frighten visitors with her knives when they snuck up on her. Before the butler could say anything else, a door alarm went off. It wasn't loud or blaring like a klaxon, but rather a simple pair of dings like strikes on a xylophone.

Raines slid his card into the door lock and opened the door to find a tall man with blonde hair, wearing a tan trench coat over top of a dark brown suit and yellow tie. The beasts were still chewing on their hock nearby, but the man was obviously still unnerved by the large pets.

"Good evening, sir," Raines greeted the man. He held out his hand to shake the other man's, noting that the larger man had hands to match his big frame, and an even stronger grip.

"Good evening. I have no idea who you are or even if I am in the right place but-" the stranger began. Raines interrupted him before he could finish.

"No, you are expected here, sir. Your name is Colonel Mustard, correct?"

"No, my name is Colonel S-" the stranger began again but was quickly silenced by Raines' hand. 

"If you don't mind sir, but due to the sensitive topics under discussion, tonight everyone present will find it in their best interest to go by the alias provided them beforehand," Raines explained. He invited the stranger inside, and then offered to take his trench coat and black hat, which did not match the rest of his attire. His suit was slightly wrinkled - a sure sign that he was not used to dressing so formally. "Follow me," he directed the man.

"So... who are you, sir?" Colonel Mustard asked curiously as he walked behind the briskly moving Raines.

"I'm Cid Raines, sir. The butler. But please call me Raines," Cid instructed him. He held the library doors open, revealing Jihl inside, already bringing the Colonel a glass of white wine. He took it from her and thanked her. "Jihl, will you see that he has whatever he likes? The other guests should be here soon." Again Jihl simply answered with a smile and nod. Raines pulled the doors shut just as the Colonel turned to ask him a question.

No sooner had he shut the doors than the door alarm signaled again. This time, standing at the door was a beautiful woman with pale pink hair tied in a ponytail on one side, a black beret and heavy black coat covering her. Raines opened the door and took her in his sight. "Please, come in, ma'am. You are expected tonight," he greeted.

"How do you know who I am?" the woman replied, raising an eyebrow and stepping inside the house.

"I only know that you will be known tonight as Mrs. White, ma'am. It is in your best interest to assume so as well," he answered. He took her coat to reveal underneath a modest skirt dress that while form fitting was very tasteful. Sleeveless with a low neckline that looked professional, the dress stopped just above her knees, black panty hose underneath, a simple pair of white heels finishing off her ensemble. She handed him her beret and he placed both inside the closet.

"It said that in my letter, but why? What's wrong with my real name?" the woman from then on known as Mrs. White asked. Raines neglected to answer but led the woman to the library. As he opened the doors he unintentionally also pushed the Colonel away, almost causing him to drop his glass. 

"Mrs. White, this is Jihl, the maid, and Colonel Mustard," Raines introduced them. Jihl handed her a glass of wine as the two guests exchanged short pleasantries, a strange look between the two that signaled discomfort. He noticed this and asked if they knew each other. Neither guest answered but simply shrugged the question off.

***********

Thunder rumbled overhead as a slim woman with bright curly red hair tied back in an ornate bun leaned over the side of her transport vehicle in between two rocky ledges of the Vile Peaks. She sighed in agitation, kicking the side of the vehicle with disgust. It was obvious that something was wrong, but what wasn't so obvious was exactly what that was. She glanced up and felt a few small drops of rain. She was so fretful at that point that she hadn't even noticed the transport vehicle that stopped beside her. The passenger door slid open as middle-aged man leaned outward.

"Would you like a ride? It's starting to rain," the man offered. Her eyes lit up at his kindness.

"Oh yes! Please!" she replied, smiling widely. She grabbed her purse out of her vehicle, locked it, and hopped into the stranger's vehicle. "Thank you so much. I'm late for a dinner party and I was afraid I would get doused before I could get help."

"I'm late for one myself. Where are you heading?" the man asked as he began to move the vehicle again. The younger woman pulled out a piece of folded paper, reading it.

"Let me see. It's that house up there," she said, pointing to the top of the outskirts of the peaks. "I think you just go around these paths here."

"That looks like where I'm heading too. Can I look at that letter?" he asked, taking it from her before she could answer. "I got one of these too, but with a different name." Both of them looked at each other, a look of discomfort forming on their faces. Just then, as if on cue, the rain began.

***********

Back in the house, Raines was introducing another guest into the library. The woman was dressed in blue, her dress slit up both sides but still covering her legs, at least while standing. The top was modest, covering her cleavage. Around her waist was a long belt made of fur that hung down to her knees, as well as a much thinner line of fur lining her top. Her hair was clipped behind her head, fur also adorning the clasp.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is Mrs. Peacock," Raines announced. Both of the previous guests offered their greetings, Jihl placing a glass of wine in her hand. The woman's eyes widened slightly in surprise as she noted the oversized bust and apparent lack of a brassiere of the maid. "Jihl, will you go alert Lebreau that we are only waiting on three guests to arrive?" As always, she simply smiled and nodded, leaving the room to make haste to the kitchen. No sooner had she left than the door alarm rang again.

A young man stood outside, a thick coat and hat protecting him from the downpour that had quickly erupted from the sky since Mrs. Peacock's arrival. He was turned away from the door, watching the beasts as they simply lay near their small shelter, obviously sated from a meal.

"Ah you must be Mr. Green," Raines said, giving the young man a once over. "SIT!" Raines ordered suddenly. Mr. Green did so, placing himself on the bench beside the door. Raines chuckled. "No, not you, sir. The animal," he said, motioning to the beast that had decided to stand up, wanting to inspect the new visitor.

"Oh yes, of course, I'm sorry," Mr. Green said, embarrassed. He was then quickly ushered in where he, too, offered up his coat and hat. He looked very young, a teenager most likely. He had silver-white hair and wore a neat navy blue suit - complete with blazer and a green tie. Raines was impressed - very few young people gave thought to their appearance, but it was apparent that Mr. Green was quite meticulous about his dress. Asking him no questions, Raines led him to the library as well to meet the other guests.

********

Back in the transport, the red haired woman was pointing to the left at a fork in the road. "It should be that path there," she assured. Her companion paused the vehicle just a moment to take in the closer sight of the imposing house. Just then a strong crash of lightning filled the sky.

"Why did you stop the transport?" she inquired, unnerved by the loud noise.

"Maybe the thunder frightened it," the man said with more seriousness in his voice than he had displayed in his speech prior. Saying nothing else, he started moving the vehicle up the left path, the rain pouring harder.

*******

Mr. Green jumped as the loud sound of thunder erupted into the library, lightning flashing through the windows. He had been given a glass of sparkling cider that quickly found its way to the floor right at the base of Mrs. Peacock's feet. She pretended not to notice, the boy obviously embarrassed already.

"I'm so sorry, ma'am. I'm a little nervous and jumpy," he apologized. She smiled and gave him a slight nod as he knelt down and padded her open toed shoes quickly. 

*******

The dark skinned man that had picked up the red haired woman quickly made his way around the transport with a large umbrella, letting her out and protecting both of them from being drenched. 

"What a freaky looking place," the man observed as they quickly got up onto the covered porch. The woman agreed, rolling her eyes as he placed his arm behind her. It was obviously nothing more than a friendly gesture but unwanted all the same. Just as she wiggled his hand off, the door opened to reveal the butler.

"Professor Plum? Miss Scarlet? You already know each other?" the nervous butler asked. Miss Scarlet smirked.

"No, we don't," she said, still annoyed that her 'friend' was apparently misunderstanding her gratitude. The two guests stepped inside to follow the routine - coats and hats in the closet and a short jaunt to the library.

Raines opened the door, the two final guests stepping inside. "I present here Professor Plum and Miss Scarlet," he announced. Jihl quickly offered them glasses of wine. Professor Plum gave her a grin as he took in the sight of her ample bosom. "Now that everyone is here I would just like to remind everyone that it is in your best interest to abide by your pseudonym tonight." Everyone exchanged nervous looks. Why was it so imperative that they use false names? What could they possibly want to hide?

The loud ring akin to a gong going off interrupted their thoughts. Mr. Green jumped again, but luckily Jihl had not yet refilled his glass, so nobody was wearing his beverage. 

"Ah good, dinner is ready," Raines said. He led the small group across the hall and held the door open as they filed into the dining room. "Please sit at your assigned seat." The guests complied, the colonel, Miss Scarlet, and Mr. Green sitting on one side of the table, the other three guests on the opposite side. A seventh place setting was at the very end, unoccupied.

"Are you joining us too?" Mustard asked, indicating the extra space.

"Oh no, sir, of course not!" Raines declared. "That seat is for your other guest, Mr. Dysley."

"I thought Mr. Dysley was our host," Mrs. White protested. The others chimed in with their agreement. He simply smiled to their confusion. 

"So, what is this all about, Mr. Butler? A dinner party with someone we never met before, and with other guests we don't know." Mrs. Peacock asked pointedly.

"You will soon find out, ma'am. No reason to wonder why," the butler answered to their bewilderment. What kind of answer was that?

Jihl entered the dining room through a side door that led to the kitchen, carrying a large tray with bowls. "Sahagin's fins soup, ma'am," she said as she set the first bowl before Mrs. Peacock. She worked her way around the table until all but the seventh bowl was set.

"I'd like to start now, while the food is still hot. It looks very good," Professor Plum stated, eyeing his soup.

"Shouldn't we wait for Mr. Dysley?" Mrs. Peacock questioned, unsure if it was polite to begin without him. She was a strong woman and cautious of the situation. No need to upset anyone if it wasn't necessary.

"Don't worry ma'am, I will keep dinner warm for him," Jihl assured.

"Hmm, what did you have in mind?" Miss Scarlet teased, referring to Jihl's bust once again. Jihl's face reddened as she abruptly scooted through the door. She had always been proud of her bust but it wasn't something she flaunted, either. She wanted to be taken as an intelligent woman with thoughts and opinions of her own, not as some bimbo whose only purpose was to pour drinks and wash tables. She couldn't help it if her prominent bosom showed through her brassiere, 

Forgetting Mrs. Peacock's objection, the professor began to slurp his soup from the spoon, making just slightly more noise than necessary. Mrs. White shrugged her shoulders and began to do the same. The others decided at that point to go ahead and join in.

"Well, I guess I can break the ice, after all I am used to it in my line of work, always being the one to ease the tension, and it is surely hard when a group of people meet for the first time and especially in a situation like this where none of us even know entirely what's going on, but I'm sure once we get this party underway we will have a good time, at least I know I intend to have a good time and I hope the rest of you do too and you know I just have to say that this soup is just wonderful, wouldn't you all agree?" Miss Scarlet blurted out breathlessly. Everyone else stared at her, mouths agape as they tried to process everything she just said. She paid no attention and continued to slurp up her soup as they looked at her. What line of work could she be in that required her to constantly 'break the ice?' Her chipper attitude did seem to be refreshing to the otherwise quiet and tense table of guests.

Jihl quietly came into the room and took their bowls, then returned moments later with piping hot plates of food. As they began to eat, Mrs. White decided to move things along. "Well apparently your line of work is social, what about the rest of us? Mrs. Peacock?" she asked slyly as if already knowing the answer would be of interest to the rest of the group.

Mrs. Peacock stopped cutting her meat to answer. "Well, I am actually in the- wait, I thought we weren't supposed to know anything about who we really are, even though I have no idea why. I'm not ashamed of my position, I worked hard to get there." Colonel Mustard nodded in agreement.

"I know who you are," Mrs. White replied. 

"Are you going to tell the rest of us?" Miss Scarlet inquired, her interest no longer in her food but the conversation. 

"How do you know me?"

"I work in the military too," Mrs. White responded. 

"Oh, so you're a military officer?" the professor asked.

"Yes, I am. I am in a high ranking position not that it's really any of your business," Mrs. Peacock confirmed. She was slightly nervous and annoyed at the same time. "Well what about you, what do you do exactly, Mrs. White? It must be important if you know who I am. My code isn't particularly general knowledge."

"Nothing," Mrs. White responded harshly. The others gave her a questioning look. "Well, I mean, I can't say, it's confidential. That's just an answer I am used to giving. Sorry about that." Suddenly a crash of lightning and the boom of thunder cause Mr. Green to jump again, this time dumping his drink onto Miss Scarlet. 

"I'm sorry, I'm so clumsy when I'm nervous, let me help," he said, getting a napkin and patting down her neck. 

"That's okay. Just watch it," Miss Scarlet replied, wiping off her upper chest. It was impossible not to notice the way she looked at him with her bright smile and flirtatious tone. 

"I really love this recipe. It's one of my favorites but it has been a long time since I had it," Colonel Mustard declared to Jihl before she returned to the kitchen once again.

"I know, colonel," Jihl said rather matter-of-factly, disappearing from sight. The colonel was caught off-guard with her statement, pausing to consider her response before shrugging and returning to his meal.

"Well, what do you do, Mr. Green?" Mrs. Peacock asked. He was quiet as if thinking or afraid to answer, one of the two. "Come on, what is it you do? How will we get to know each other if we don't talk about ourselves? It's an easy question, I imagine you are a student or intern, you do look young."

"Maybe he doesn't want to share anything or get to know you," Mrs. White said sharply, her attention first to her, and then smiling widely at the young man, batting her eyelashes twice. "Maybe he's older than he looks anyway - some of us age better than others."

Taken aback by the abrupt statement, Mrs. Peacock simply replied, "Well, excuse me, I was just trying to make conversation."

"What, are you afraid of the silence?" Professor Plum teased. 

"No, of course not! Why?"

"Well it just seems like you are, the rest of us are perfectly happy to just relax and eat but you insist on yakking and asking questions," he responded.

"What are you, a shrink? She can talk all she wants," Mrs. White scolded. 

"Well no, I just was making a simple observation. Then again I could have said it nicer, huh? Sorry about that," the professor answered, flustered. He looked down at his plate and took another bite.

"So are you a doctor at all?" Miss Scarlet asked. 

"No, I'm a professor of mechanics and machinery," he replied. "I work with Sanctum fal'Cie in construction of complex machinery. What about you, are you actually a colonel?" He changed his address to Mustard who had been mostly absent from the conversation, a quiet observer.

"Yes, I am, professor. Like Mrs. White, I can't tell you anything else," the colonel said simply. 

"Well who here isn't in some way involved with the Sanctum?" Mr. Green decided to find out. Miss Scarlet waved her hand.

"I don't, but I do live in Palumpolum, the military capital, and I do handle a lot of Sanctum soldiers' business,” she stated. 

"And I go to school and live there, too," Mr. Green confirmed. So we all are somehow connected closely to the Sanctum." It was not a question.

Colonel Mustard slammed his napkin down on the table as he stood up, addressing Raines. "Where is our host and why have we been brought here? I want to know, right now!" he bellowed. Before he could receive an answer, the door alarm sounded. Raines walked away without addressing the question posed to him.

The door could be heard in the hall as guests and staff was silent. 

First, Raines voice. "Hello sir, you are expected." An older man's voice came after.

"Why are you locking the door? Give me that key!" the man said. He sounded more agitated than frightened.

"I think not. Would you like me to put your bag in the closet?"

"No, it can stay right here until I need it. It contains surprises for the guests," the older man said ominously. The two men then entered the dining room.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the seventh and final guest, Mr. Dysley."


	2. Chapter 2

"What are they doing here?" Dysley demanded.

"Just having dinner. Care to sit down sir?" Raines replied, pulling out a chair for him. Dysley sat down and waved Jihl away when she came in with a bowl of soup for him.

"No thank you, Jihl, I already had dinner," Dysley said. Jihl looked a little bewildered but she backed away anyhow. 

"Look here! I demand to know what's going on here, now why have we been dragged up here to this place with a bunch of strangers?" Mrs. Peacock said, raising her voice and slapping the table with her fist.

"Well, I think we all received a letter, correct? It reads: It will be to your advantage to be present on this date at this time because a Mr. Dysley will bring to an end to a special long-term liability. It is signed by 'a friend.' Does this sound right to everyone?" Raines declared. Everyone but Dysley gave nervous nods.

"I received a different letter," Dysley stated.

"I see. Well I think it's about time we went into the study. I am certain our unknown host will reveal his intentions now," Raines said, urging the others to stand and exit.

*****

"I don't see anyone in here," Mr. Green observed, as he was the first to enter the study. He looked around, seeing two very comfortable designer couches, a large contemporary desk with a chair, an electric fireplace, and large pieces of artwork on the walls. The room was aglow with sconces that lit everything up with bright light.

"Help yourselves to drinks and be seated please. There's sparkling cider for you, Mr. Green, cognac for the others," Raines instructed. He walked behind the desk, unlocked the drawer, and extracted a manila envelope with the words 'Open After Dinner' printed on it in bold script. He opened it and quickly glanced over the paperwork inside. On top was a letter to Raines.

"Attention everyone, I have been told to tell you all what you have in common and why you are here. Or would you rather have that honor, Mr. Dysley?" Raines addressed the older man with an air of suspicion.

"Why me, Mr. Raines? Do they know who I even am?" Dysley questioned, posing his question to make himself sound very important and regal.

"I don't rightly think so, you never did identify yourself for them past your name," Raines replied, taken aback by the outburst that soon followed as Dysley stood up abruptly.

"This is all falsities! I recommend we all vacate the premises immediately," Dysley announced, walking quickly out the door and to the front entrance. He pulled on the door and it held firmly locked.

"I'm sorry Mr. Dysley but no one can leave this house!" Raines informed him as he stepped out of the study, followed by the others. "I assure you there is no way out. All of the doors are locked by keycard and the windows are shatterproof."

"This is outrageous! You are keeping us prisoner! I demand to leave!" Dysley was furious, his demeanor changing from a smug old man to that of an angry and belligerent fiend. The others began to protest as well, not liking the idea of no escape.

"Please, everyone, I will explain everything, I promise. Just stay in the study. You as well, Mr. Dysley." Raines was further irritated as Dysley jaunted quickly to the back of the house toward the greenhouse. He picked up a shovel and prepared to try and break the window when Raines cornered him.

"There is no way out through there," Raines almost seemed triumphant as if he had won a battle.

"Why not? This is merely glass, I can break it with this, shatterproof or not!" Dysley argued, but before he could strike with the shovel, the two beasts growled loudly as they beat at the glass with their legs. They snarled loudly, baring their vicious teeth. Dysley dropped the shovel in defeat, returning to the study.

******  
Dysley entered the study, followed closely by Raines. He took his seat in the high backed armchair as Raines returned to his post at the desk. Everyone else was seated but definitely unnerved. Raines picked up the envelope again and addressed the small crowd.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I have been told to tell you that you all have one thing in common with each other and that is that you are all being blackmailed. For some time now you all have been paying what you can afford and in some cases more than you can afford to someone who threatens to expose your secret and nobody knows who it is that's blackmailing you," Raines announced. 

"That's ridiculous!" Mrs. Peacock piped up immediately. "Nobody could blackmail me, I'm in the military, every move I make is public knowledge! I could never have done anything wrong to be blackmailed for!" She knew she was lying right through her teeth even as she spoke, but they needn't know the details.

"Anyone else in denial here?" Raines asked, looking around the room. Nobody responded, just looking at him. It was more than apparent that none of them would argue with his assessment. "Since everyone here is in the same predicament, my instructions are to reveal some details." He glanced over at Jihl. "Thank you, Jihl. If you will take your leave, please." As per always, Jihl smiled and nodded, leaving the room, closing the door behind her. She had other things to attend to. 

"Is that really necessary? Those kind of details might be further implicating or even embarrassing, maybe even result in further blackmail between us all" Mrs. White protested. Raines gave a stern shake of his head.

"I'm sorry. I have no choice," the butler answered. He turned first to the professor. "Professor plum, you were once married to Mrs. Plum with a child for five years, correct?"

"Yes, but his mother passed away and I am a single father. What's that got to do with anything?" Plum responded. 

"But you had been married for five years. Why, then, were you involved with someone else during that time?" Raines went on. There were a couple of stifled gasps at the revelation. 

"Well well, professor, what did you do?" Miss Scarlet asked. 

"You know what's illegal in all of Cocoon when it comes to marriages?" Raines rhetorically asked her.

"Yeah, so?" Miss Scarlet replied. Divorce was not uncommon after infidelities commenced. She merely wanted him to verify what it was she suspected.

"Well, he did just that," Raines answered her. Miss Scarlet let out a laugh while Mrs. Peacock scoffed in disgust. "Are you making a moral judgment on him, Mrs. Peacock?" The woman looked stunned at the question and at a loss for words. "How can you justify then that you were involved in bribes to military officials?"

"Are you implying what I think you are, Mr. Raines!?" Mrs. Peacock shouted, suddenly very angry. 

"Yes I am. The only reason you are at the rank that you are is because you bribed the officers to increase your rank, level by level," Raines revealed. Mrs. Peacock's face turned bright red with anger.

"So that's how you earned your way to the top?" Miss Scarlet asked sarcastically.

"How would you know? You're not even in the military!" Mrs. Peacock retorted. She stood in a huff and crossed her arms. "It's nothing but a bunch of falsified information meant to defame my character!"

"I'm sure everyone is relieved to hear that, we wouldn't want to lose faith in the Cavalry after all," Raines stated. He had been a little nervous at making his statement since Mrs. Peacock appeared to be a fierce woman with little tolerance for games and even less tolerance for anything that might ruin her image.

"I believe you. I didn't do what I'm being blackmailed for either," Mrs. White assured the angry woman. The others except for Miss Scarlet all agreed with her.

"So you aren't being blackmailed, Miss Scarlet?" Raines asked, bewildered. 

"Oh no, I'm being blackmailed, but I am doing what I am being blackmailed for," she answered smugly. She stood up from her seat and made her way to the desk, sitting on top of it, her legs tightly crossed. Her provocative dress was barely hiding anything - if she moved her legs any higher she would have shown off everything.

"Well then what are you doing?" Professor Plum asked curiously.

"Well, let's just say that I run a small vacation spot east of Palumpolum where people can get a little special relief when they visit," the brazen woman replied, a smirk on her face.

"Oh? What's the contact number? I might be interested," the professor asked, suddenly very excited. Miss Scarlet scoffed and rolled her eyes yet again. "Oh... you don't mean regular vacations do you?" She replied with a shake of her head and a silent pray for the man's lack of common sense.

"Wait!" Mr. Green blurted out, changing the subject from Miss Scarlet's provocative profession. "Mrs. White, does that mean you might know Colonel Mustard?" Mr. Green asked, remembering that both he and Mrs. White mentioned Palumpolum and military relations.

"Certainly not! Just because we live in the same city doesn't mean we have to know each other!" the colonel replied agitated. Mrs. White nodded in agreement.

"Mrs. White, you've been paying our friend ever since the apprehension of Guardian Corps soldiers for theft of government property," Raines went on. Miss Scarlet laughed out loud, to which everyone was slightly confused.

"Why is that funny?" Mrs. White asked of the younger woman.

"I see, it seems like we have several crooked military and government officers here," Miss Scarlet answered, grinning. 

"I didn't take anything," Mrs. White protested. 

"Then why are you paying up?" Mustard asked next, not believing her for a moment.

"I don't want a scandal in the Corps, do I? It was a very trying time with the court, having to testify against my own soldiers. Humiliating, really, although they never did seem to like me very much, I heard they talked behind my back all the time," Mrs. White explained.

"Why would they talk behind your back if you're standing right there?" Miss Scarlet asked, suddenly realizing the absurdity of the question and wishing she could retract her ignorant statement.

"I think she meant they talked about her, behind her back, when she wasn't around," Raines verified for her. Miss Scarlet simply shrugged.

"So what happened to them, anyway?" Miss Scarlet inquired, hoping to sound a little more intelligent.

"They were put to trial and executed, of course. It was treason what they did," Mrs. White recalled. 

"But why were they the ones to be executed yet you're the one paying blackmail?" Raines chimed in.

"Well, there were threats that I would be accused and revealed as the culprit and I couldn't let that happen because I would be put on trial and executed next, even when I didn't do it!" Before anyone could respond to that, Mr. Green stood up and cleared his throat. 

"I'm sorry to interrupt but I don't want to wait for Mr. Raines here to reveal my secret, so I want to do it myself," he said confidently. Everyone's attention was suddenly on the young man. "I am a homosexual, and involved with a man over the age of eighteen." Everyone except Miss Scarlet sat wide eyed, who merely grinned slyly. "I'm not ashamed, but if it was found out, he would be jailed for underage rape and my father would disown me. Thank you," Mr. Green finished, sitting back down. Professor Plum got up from his seat, having been sitting next to Mr. Green and suddenly bothered by his confession. Out of all of the guests, his crime seemed to be the least serious. Perhaps it only seemed that way since the others were all adults and it was apparent that he was only a teenager based on his admittance that he would be the one who was 'raped underage.'

"Well that just leaves Mr. Dysley," Professor Plum announced, eager to hear his story.

"Good point. What's your little secret, hmm?" Miss Scarlet looked at Mr. Dysley with eyes of desire - desire to dig into his head and drive out his secret. 

"Oh but haven't you all guessed? He's the one who is blackmailing you!" Raines declared. Dysley smirked, but it quickly turned to a frown as the colonel leapt out of his seat and advanced on him, yelling.

"Asshole! I'm going to beat your ass! Come on, bring it on old man!" Mustard shouted. Mr. Green quickly stood between the two, his hands up in front of the colonel. 

"Please, both of you calm down," Mr. Green pleaded with them. Raines interrupted.

"Wait! The Guardian Corps is coming!" Raines shouts. Everyone stops dead in their tracks and stares at him. "Now listen. Blackmail is all about secrets. All we have to do is tell them he has been blackmailing us, he'll be arrested and sent to prison, freeing us all from the blackmail."

"Oh, it isn't quite that easy, Mr. Raines. Not at all. You will never tell the Corps," Mr. Dysley argued slyly. Something was up his sleeve for sure.

"I will tell them! This conversation is being recorded and-" Raines started to explain but was quickly shot down by Mr. Green.

"Wait, recordings aren't considered valid evidence," the young man reminded them. "They said so in my government class at school."

"The Corps will be here in about forty five minutes. Tell them what's going on and your debts will be over with," Raines declared. Mr. Dysley chose that moment to get up and get his bag from the hall. He returned a moment later, taking black boxes with ribbons tied around them from inside. He passed them out to each of his six victims. 

"I think this will help you make up your minds about the situation," Mr. Dysley said. "Who can guess what's inside these?"

"Evidence against us I would think," Mrs. White guessed. 

"Oh no. I was told we were meeting to talk about our financial arrangement and that if I did not make an appearance, Raines would tell the Corps about everything going on. Of course, I couldn't resist a chance to gloat. So please, open your gifts," Dysley instructed, sitting back in his chair.

Miss Scarlet shrugged. "Why not? I enjoy surprises!" She slipped the ribbon off of her package and pulled the box open. Inside was a strange object. She took it out and pressed a small button on the side. It snapped open, revealing its identity. "A binding rod? These are for catching animals. What do I need this for?"

The others opened their boxes one by one, each revealing something different. Mrs. White opened hers to discover an ornate blade that was about a foot long and retractable. She held it gingerly as if it were something disgusting. Mr. Green tipped his box on its side, revealing a collapsible boomerang with a blunt edge. He looked at it, confused. The colonel opened his box and pulled out a pair of black gloves - gloves with special amplification technology that would increase the wearer's strength ten fold. Professor Plum removed from his box a gun - Vega's, a gun that had incredible power focused on one direct area. Lastly, Mrs. Peacock removed what looked like a piece of lead piping, but with the push of a button, it expanded into a long staff with spiked ends. She pushed the button again to retract it. 

"You each hold now a lethal weapon. A rod, a dagger, gloves, a gun, a spear, and a boomerang," Dysley began, standing up and strolling casually to the door. "If you turn me into the Corps, I will see to it that your secrets are exposed to the world. However, if one of you kills Raines, nobody but the handful of us will ever know about it. He has the keycard to the front door. Kill him and we can take it, and leave. Your secrets will be safe, for the price you now pay." Mr. Dysley placed his hand on the panel next to the door that controlled the lighting in the room. "The only way to save face and stay out of prison is to kill Raines. Now." He promptly turned off the lights and the room fell into fearful silence.


	3. Chapter 3

The sound of a struggle was then heard, and then a gunshot that filled the room like an atomic bomb. Immediately Mrs. Peacock found the panel and switched on the lights. She dropped her staff as she gasped, surveying the room. On the floor was Mr. Galanth Dysley, face down, and apparently dead.

"It's not Raines! It's Dysley!" Colonel Mustard exclaimed. Everyone else erupted into panicked frenzy, chattering amongst themselves. Miss Scarlet knelt down beside him and felt his neck for a pulse.

"No pulse. He's dead!" the young woman declared, visibly disturbed. She stood and backed away slowly.

"Who had the gun?!" Mrs. White demanded to know. All eyes shifted to the professor. He put his hands in front of him defensively.

"I didn't shoot him. Someone tried to grab it from me and when I wouldn't let go, the gun went off," Plum explained. He turned the corpse over onto its back, looking for a wound. "Look! There’s no bullet wound! They missed!"

"Then how did he die?" Mr. Green asked nervously.

"I don't know! I'm a machinist, not a forensics expert!" Plum screamed back at him. Mr. Green backed away, embarrassed. 

"Well someone in here killed him! He didn't die of fear or stress!" Mrs. White declared.

"I didn't do it!" Mr. Green immediately cried. 

"Could it have been poison? Did someone poison the old bastard?" Mustard suggested. "I admit I was ready to beat him up but I wouldn't kill the man."

Suddenly they heard a loud scream, followed by several more loud screams.

"Where is that screaming?!" Miss Scarlet screamed herself, leading the charge into the hallway. 

"There!" Mr. Green called out, rushing to the door of the recreation room. He tried the handle but it wouldn't budge. "It's locked!"

"Maybe the murderer is in there!" Professor Plum suggested as the screams continued.

"But why would the murderer scream?" Mr. Green asked, his face turning red as he realized what a silly statement he had made.

"There must be a victim screaming! Who- wait, oh my god, Jihl!" Mrs. White shouted in worry. 

"Oh my god!" Mr. Green cried again as the door finally gave way and the six of them fell inward to see Jihl, by herself.

"You're alright!" Raines cried out, excited yet surprised to see the beautiful woman alone.

"Yes, no thanks to you! You locked me up with a murderer!" Jihl screeched at him. 

"So the murderer is in this room?" Mrs. White asked, looking around to see nothing out of the ordinary.

"Where?" Mr. Green asked, frantic.

"Where? Here of course! We are all looking at them! I heard what you were all saying in the study, someone here is a killer. I was listening to the recording as it was going on," Jihl explained.

"Why were you screaming in here by yourself though?" Mrs. White asked, bewildered.

"I was frightened! Someone might try to kill me too! I haven't done anything wrong, I shouldn't have to die. I'm not in the blackmail ordeal. I think it will be best if we stay together, just to keep an eye on each other," Jihl recommended. 

"She's right. Safety in numbers!" Professor Plum said, taking her by the arm the way one would escort someone to dinner and leading her to the study, following the other guests. Nobody was aware, but Raines removed the recording card and put it in his pocket before they left.

********

Back in the study, everyone took a seat except for Mr. Green, whose seat was taken by Jihl. Instead, he leaned up against a small table that held only a lamp. Raines burst into the room in a worried state.

"This is horrible! Just horrible! This is not what I had intended to happen!" Raines cried. The others gave him questioning looks. "I'm not just any butler. I was his butler."

"If he told you to invite us then why did he arrive late, as a guest?" Professor Plum questioned skeptically. 

"He didn't invite you, I did. I wrote the letters. Everything was my idea," Raines said, beginning to fluster.

"Wait, are you saying you invited us here because you were assisting him in blackmailing us? I think you have some explaining to do!" Mrs. White demanded harshly. 

"You better get on with that explaining, I'm not feeling too forgiving right now," the colonel said, anger in his eyes. Mrs. Peacock had the same look in her own eyes. 

"Please calm down, everyone. When I said I was his butler that was truth and a lie. I was once his butler, but my paid employment ended a while ago."

"Why did it end?" Mustard asked.

"I was a victim of his blackmail, too. My wife and me. When we were turned into l'Cie he found out, and threatened to turn us in to Sanctum officials to be jailed and studied and exploited. We begged him not to, and so we had to work for him for nothing, like slaves."

"If he was such a good citizen of the Sanctum then why didn't he turn you in?" Mr. Green asked as well. "Wouldn't he be in a lot of trouble if they found out he was hiding l'Cie?"

"He decided to make a little money off of the situation, just like with each of you." Raines was beginning to tear up. "Eventually my wife decided to end her life rather than work for him or become cie'th. Her suicide has preyed endlessly on my mind, and I resolved to put an end to this, freeing everyone from the same fate as myself."

"So then everything is cleared up," Professor Plum gave a sigh of relief.

"Nothing is clear, we still don't know who killed Mr. Dysley!" Miss Scarlet reminded him.

"Well we only have thirty nine minutes to figure it out before the Corps arrives!" Raines announced.

"We can't have them here! Not with this on our hands! We have to solve this murder or else we all get arrested,' Mrs. Peacock protested.

"How can we figure out which of you is the killer?" Mr. Green was once again frantic.

"Why aren't you included in that?" the professor blurted out.

"Well I know I didn't do it!" Mr. Green answered loudly. 

"One of us did. We all had opportunity, means, and motive!" Raines shouted.

"Great, we can all get executed!" Professor Plum said sarcastically. After thinking about it a moment he came up with an idea. "Well what if it wasn't one of us?" the professor suggested. "Who else is in the house?"

"The cook, Lebreau," Raines and Jihl answered at the same time. Everyone then shouted at once. "The cook!" Without hesitation, the group of eight bolted from the room into the hall. After a moment of confusion they realized where to go and made way for the kitchen at the back of the house. 

********

The guests and two house staff burst into the kitchen, getting stuck in the door as they all tried to enter at once. Mr. Green, at the front of the group, stepped forward, looked around and saw nothing but the very clean, plain kitchen. "It looks like nobody is here," he said. He was standing right in front of the refrigerator at that point, when the door fell open, the beautiful cook falling out into Mr. Green's arms. Everyone let out screams, sounding like a chorus of fright. As Mr. Green struggled to set down the cook, they took notice that she had the dagger sticking out from her back, a large bloodstain around it.

"I didn't do it! I didn't do it!" Mr. Green cried. He finished plopping the cook down facedown on the floor. Mrs. White touched the blade handle ever so gently. Colonel mustard smacked her hand away.

"Don't do that, it's evidence!" the large man ordered. 

"Not for us! We have to find out who killed her, it's not like we can just take fingerprints!" Mrs. White argued. "And don't you dare touch me like that again." He got up in a huff, no longer kneeling beside them. 

"Why would someone kill the cook?" Mr. Green questioned. 

"Maybe they didn't like the dinner," Professor Plum replied coldly. 

"That's a crappy thing to say at a time like this! Maybe the killer will kill you, next," the colonel yelled.

"Oh?" the professor asked.

"Maybe, I said maybe. It's not me. I'm all talk. Who had the dagger anyway? Wasn't it you Mrs. White?"

"I had it but I dropped it in the study when we were rushing out!" Mrs. White defended herself. "Anyone else could have easily picked it up, but another question is when did they kill her? It just had to be while we were out of the study."

"Why don't we take her body to the study with the other one? I would like to keep the kitchen clean," Raines suggested. The others looked at him before agreeing to move her corpse.

*******

As they entered the study, carrying Lebreau's body, the professor and colonel suddenly dropped her body to the floor.

"Look!" the professor exclaimed, pointing to the floor.

"What?" the others asked in unison. "Dysley is gone!" Plum replied.

"What's everyone staring at?" Mrs. Peacock asked, pushing her way into the study. "Let me through!"

"Nothing. Nobody. The body is gone. Mr. Dysley's body is gone!" Mr. Green observed. "I didn't do it, I swear!"

"The more you say that, the more I want to believe you did it!" Mrs. Peacock blurted out.

"Oh that's just mean! Leave him alone, I believe he's innocent," Miss Scarlet came to his defense, putting her arm around his shoulder and smiling.

"Maybe he wasn't dead. We should have made sure." Mrs. White asked.

"How? Maybe we should have hacked off his head or something," Mrs. Peacock replied morbidly yet enthusiastically. 

"Well that was uncalled for!" Mrs. White stated, irritated. "Even I am not that cold hearted."

"We better look for him," the professor suggested. Everyone began to search the room, which took less than a minute since it wasn't very big and mostly filled with furniture. 

"Well, he couldn't have been dead," Mr. Green said, sighing. "All I know is that I didn't- never mind."

"He was! Well, I mean, I thought he was! I guess it doesn't matter now," Plum sighed as well, tired and defeated.

"It matters to him. Maybe it was him who killed the cook! He wasn't with us when we went to the recreation room to see what was going on with Jihl," Miss Scarlet cried. The others were quick to agree before Raines brought them back down, reminding them that it wasn't possible for him to have killed her if he was in fact dead at the time.

Miss Scarlet then sat back on the desk as she had before, noticing the envelope, open. She picked it up and started to read it quietly. "So, what's this Raines? Looks like... oh my god, it's..." Mrs. White snatched the folder out of her hands and looked at it. 

"Oh my god, it is. Everything is here," Mrs. White declared.

"What is it?" the colonel asked demanded, worried. Miss Scarlet snatched it back from Mrs. White.

"It's everything about us... Snow Villiers," she said coolly, addressing the colonel. "That's your name, Snow Villiers."

"What, why? How? What's going on!?" Snow, the colonel, cried frantically.

"Hmm, what else do we have here? Mrs. White, I mean Lightning Farron. Interesting name there. I like it," Miss Scarlet went on. Lightning glared at her angrily. 

"Anymore secrets you care to share with the rest of us? How about your own name?" Lightning asked, snatching the folder from her once again. "Let's see.. Vanille Dia. Not so cocky now, are you?" She smirked at the former Miss Scarlet before handing her the paper again.

"Might as well finish this out. Fang Yun," Mrs. Peacock announced. "Captain Fang Yun to be precise."

"Sazh Katzroy, pleased to meet you all for real this time," the professor said. "Still a professor of machinery." 

"What about you, kid?" Snow asked as they all turned to look at Mr. Green. 

"Him? He's Hope Estheim," Vanille announced, confused by the name.

"Hope is a girl's name. Are you sure?" Fang asked. She had been unreasonably hard on the young man, but she couldn't go easy on him just because of his age. The entire situation was serious; if he were involved, he would just have to play by adult rules.

"No! Its a boy's name!" the young man replied, offended. He glared at Fang.

"I think it's cute. Maybe it's like Ashley. Unisex," Vanille suggested. It was apparent she had a soft spot for him, but that kind of alliance could be valuable when trust was in short order.

"Well now that the cats are all out of their bags, what now?" Sazh asked. They all looked back and forth at each other.

"I suppose now we could all black mail each other but that would be pretty stupid. It would all even out," Snow suggested stupidly. Fang coughed quietly as she leaned in to Jihl. Even if she hadn't needed to use the bathroom, she would have found any reason to leave the room to clear her head.

"Excuse me, Jihl, where's the restroom? I need a moment if you don't mind," Fang whispered to the maid. Jihl smiled and pointed back in the hall, toward the bathroom door. Fang thanked her and squeezed out the door, stepping over the corpse. 

Before she even had a chance to open the door all the way, she was being assaulted by Mr. Dysley. She was yelling loudly, demanding he get off of her, flailing her hands wildly to push him away. She wasn't a defenseless woman; she was simply taken aback by the sudden appearance of their quarry.

"It's Dysley! He's attacking her! We have to help her!" Hope cried as Snow and Sazh pulled the body off of her. They let it fall to the floor. Hope knelt next to it and began to examine it, looking for any possible signs of life.

"No, he's dead," Lightning observed coldly. "For real this time. Unless you care to cut off his head?" She turned to Fang as she inquired about the latter activity. Fang gave her a sarcastic smile.

"Mr. Dysley. Dead. Again. You have blood on your hands!" Raines shouted at Hope.

"I didn't do it!" Hope cried, as usual. He dashed into the bathroom to wash the blood off of his hands - blood that came from the new injuries that Dysley had suffered.

"Look, a new injury! He is certainly dead now but who would want to kill him more than once?" Raines exclaimed.

"That just seems over the top," Sazh said. "Overkill you could say."

"This is no time for jokes, Sazh. There is a murderer among us or in the house somewhere. Two corpses and three deaths total," Lightning stated. 

"What if he wasn't dead before?" Hope asked, coming out of the bathroom. 

"What does it matter?" Sazh asked. By then, Raines had moved to the bathroom himself to rinse his own hands and was standing in the doorway.

"That's what we are trying to figure out!" Raines shouted. "We need to know who killed him, where they killed him, and with what!"

"You don't have to shout," Sazh pointed out, bothered by the excessive excitement.

"I'm not shouting!" Raines shouted. "Alright, maybe I am! SO what! I'm shouting!" Suddenly he collapsed to the floor, a blunt object having fallen from the doorframe. It was the boomerang, with bloodstains on it. Blood that had not come from Raines.

******

When Raines returned to the study, clutching a bag of ice to his head, he noticed that Lebreau had already been situated over the side of one of the couches, and Mr. Dysley on the other side. Sazh was sitting between them, his arm on the cook's rear as if she were the arm of the couch itself, the other arm leaning on Dysley's shoulder. 

"Now, who had access to the boomerang?" Snow asked suspiciously. Everyone looked toward Hope.

"I dropped it on the table, anyone could have picked it up and used it. Anyone! I-" the young man protested. 

"Yes we know, you didn't do it!" Fang interrupted him. Before the matter could be explored further, Raines had set down his bag of ice and was pacing through the room, picking up the remaining weapons from the floor and tables. 

"We still have these weapons - the rod, the spear, the gloves, the gun. We need to lock them all up away from whoever this killer could be," Raines announced. He opened a cabinet on the wall, put the weapons inside, and slammed it closed, locking it with a keycard. The others all agreed, although Hope had reservations.

"What are you doing with that keycard?" Hope asked. 

"Putting it in my pocket with my other keycards of course."

"Why?"

"To keep it away from the killer, obviously!"

"But that means you could open it at any time! What if you're the killer?" Fang questioned. 

"But I'm not!" Raines protested. 

"But what if you are!?" Snow added, still wary of the butler.

"Well I have to put it somewhere. If I have it, I know I'm safe from the killer," Raines said. He patted his pocket with the key inside it.

"We don't know that we are safe! What if you drop it, or someone steals it, or kills you then takes it, or-" Fang finished her tirade to herself as the others discussed the proposition to throw the keycard away altogether.


	4. Chapter 4

Cid Raines held the keycard in his hand, opened the door, and got ready to throw it, when a gentleman ducked in front of him. Raines stopped just in time, pulled his hand back and quickly slipped the card back in his pocket. 

"I'm sorry, sir. How can we help you?" Raines asked, trying to recover his stature. 

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to create a ruckus. My transport broke down at the fork and my communications aren't working. I was wondering if you had a line I could use to call for assistance," the stranger explained.

"Of course we do, come right in, sir. There's a commlink in the lounge there," Raines directed him, pointing to the lounge on the left side of the house. He led the way, ushering the stranger into the room. "If you don't mind, wait here when you are finished."

"Yes sir. I won't be too long, I promise," the man said. Raines nodded and closed the door, locking it in the process. Before he could turn around he felt a large finger tap him on the shoulder. He spun around and yelled in surprise.

"Where's that key? You still need to throw it away!" Snow reminded him. Raines pulled the key back out from his pocket, carried it to the door, opened it, and then threw the key with all of his might. The key disappeared into the bushes down the driveway.

"I want out of this, Raines," Lightning blurted out, holding her hand to demand the key to the front door.

"No. We're all in this together, if you leave, you must be the murderer," Raines argued. Lightning glared harshly at him. 

"You're going to regret that you ever started this charade," Lightning finished.

"I don't know about anyone else but I could use a good stiff drink," Snow announced. Everyone agreed and followed him to the library. Sazh poked his head into the study before he followed. "Is everything alright?"

"Yep. Two dead rotting corpses. Everything is just fine," Sazh replied.

In the library, Snow pulled out seven glasses and began to pour liquor over them all, making a large mess. He handed them out to everyone except for Hope.

"Hey, where's mine?" Hope asked, disappointed. 

"You're too young for alcohol," Snow said sharply.

"Oh give him some damn wine. If he can be involved in a murder case, he can chug a glass of liquor," Lightning said, understanding the boy's frustration. Snow shrugged in defeat and poured another glass and handed it to him. Hope sniffed the drink, wrinkled his nose a bit, and then began to sip on it.

"Listen, everyone. Raines, is it correct that there is nobody else in the house?" Snow asked, taking charge.

"No," Raines replied.

"So there is someone else in the house?" Snow verified.

"I'm sorry, I said no meaning yes."

"No meaning yes? Give me a real answer - is there anyone else, or isn't there? Yes, or no?" Snow was agitated and rightly so. 

"No," Raines replied once more.

"No there is, or no there isn't?" Snow asked.

"Yes." Lightning shattered her glass on the wall when she heard Raines' answer. 

"Stop it! Don't you think we should get that man out of here before he gets suspicious?" Lightning tossed the rest of her glass to the floor and grumbled. 

"Yeah, we need to get him out of here, fast!" Vanille agreed.

"If we send him out in this storm he might get suspicious!" Sazh objected.

"If we let him stay he may get even more suspicious!" Vanille added.

"He is probably already suspicious after he almost got hit in the head!" Snow said. There was a collective sigh from the room until Fang spoke up.

"Who cares what happens to him? Let him just stay locked up in the lounge for another half hour! The Corps will be here by then and we still need to explain the two dead bodies in the study!" Fang shouted. Everyone hushed her; afraid the stranger might hear her outburst. 

"Alright, well there is still some confusion. Is there anybody else here, or isn't there?" Snow asked once again.

"I told you, there isn't anyone else," Raines replied, exasperated.

"Well, that's what he tells us, but I don't think he knows for sure. I recommend we split up into pairs and search the house for the killer!" Snow suggested.

"Split up?" Fang asked.

"It's the only way to cover the whole house in the short time we have left," Snow explained.

"But what if one of us is stuck with the killer, then we might end up dead! Then we only have one half of a pair!" Sazh asked frantically. 

"At least then we would know who the murderer is!" Snow shouted back. 

"But one of us would be dead to figure it out!" Sazh protested.

"This is war! Casualties are inevitability, it can't be avoided. Just like making omelets and breaking eggs, every cook will tell you it's a fact of life!" Snow shouted again.

"But look what happened to the cook!" Sazh sighed. Things were getting way too complicated for his liking.

"Are you willing to take the chance too?" Hope asked. 

"We don't have much choice," Snow replied calmly.

"I guess you're right," Hope conceded.

"Someone has to go with me! I don't trust being alone, it's safer with someone else," Jihl said. She had been so quiet it had almost seemed like she disappeared altogether. Both Snow and Sazh volunteered to go, but Hope politely declined. 

"I suggest we draw straws, to be fair. We'll go to the kitchen and find something to use to draw," Raines said, the rest of them agreeing uncomfortably. They headed slowly to the kitchen, almost as if afraid of walking to their deaths.

***************

The drawing of straws was the most uneventful task of the evening. Snow ended up with Lightning, who scoffed and rolled her eyes upon her draw. Hope ended up with Jihl, an odd pairing since he was so short and she was rather tall. Sazh matched with Fang, neither of them concerned over the other. Raines partnered with Vanille, another odd pairing since he was so proper and uptight, whereas she was the exact opposite. The group agreed that those with the shortest straws would take the attic and so on down. Raines estimated it shouldn't take more than twenty minutes or so to peruse the entire house and confront their murderer.

Fang and Sazh departed to the cellar, Hope and Jihl to the attic, Raines and Vanille to the second floor, and Snow and Lightning stayed on the ground floor. The difficult part was deciding where to start their search.

"Well, the study, kitchen, and lounge are all accounted for already. I kind of wonder if we should check on the bodies though, make sure they didn't get up again," Snow joked to try and loosen the tension, but he knew that was useless. He and Lightning had a connection that the others weren't aware of, that he wasn't even aware of, and it was biting at her ferociously.

"Quit with the jokes, Snow. Let's get this over with. You're the last person I want to be around right now," Lightning said coldly to her partner. "Let's just go to the rec room first."

The pair did just that, pausing in the doorway before walking inside. The rec room was less extravagant than one might expect from a wealthy home. It housed a billiards table, a card bar with decks of cards and poker chips on a felt tabletop. There was a music player set into the wall and a cushioned bench. Otherwise there wasn't much else. 

"I don't see anything in here. Let's go," Lightning stated. It wasn't a suggestion but more of an order. Snow half-smiled.

"Come on, don't you want to play a round?" he asked, picking up one of the billiard cues. 

"Quit fooling around," she replied sternly.

*************

Down in the cellar, Fang and Sazh made their way down the stairs. The light was faint, obviously needing new transistors in the wall sconces. At the bottom of the steps they could see the large, open cellar. It had a solid slate floor - something that wasn't too common anymore. Most foundations in Cocoon were made of the same metals the rest of the buildings were made of, but the slate just showed the age of the home. 

"It's kind of creepy down here," Sazh said, looking around cautiously. "Perfect place for someone to hide."

"I doubt it. It's dark, but too open. Even with the electrical equipment down here, there isn't much room to hide," Fang replied. "Of course there could be other exits. Let's look around. Check out the walls. I'll start over here, you over there."

"Wait wait wait, I'm not going by myself!" Sazh said. "I'm gonna stay right by your side."

"You're a grown man. Act like it. Go, search, find," Fang scolded him, rolling her eyes. Her tolerance for wimpy men was not very high at all. Where she came from, men and women were equally tough. Sensing her irritation, Sazh made his way to the opposite side of the room, using the dim light to inspect for any other exits.

**********

Thunder rumbled and lightning crashed as Hope and Jihl stood at the bottom of the stairs to the attic. There was only one panel to turn on the light, and the little bit of light it produced was mediocre. 

"I can hardly see the steps," Hope complained. Jihl was reminded of another young man she had meant a couple of years prior. He was younger, but innocent and lively. It was a shame someone as young as Hope had to be dragged into a blackmail murder mystery. 

"Well, if you want I can go first," Jihl offered. She wasn't too keen on investigating the attic; she knew it was full of dust, spiders, and overall had not been touched in years. It was one of those places she was fortunate enough to never have to visit on her daily chores around the home. 

"No, I should go first. I'm the man, I'm supposed to keep the woman safe," Hope said, feigning confidence. Jihl was touched by the sentiment, but she could tell he was nervous.

"How about we go together? Side by side. We can face the murderer as a team," she offered. "Come on, let's get 'em." She took his hand, but neither of them moved.

********

"Are you going in there by yourself?" Raines asked Vanille as the pair of them stood before separate doors on the second floor. It was much better lit than the attic or basement, but there was something foreboding about entering closed doors of rooms they hadn't been in before.

"Sure! I said I like surprises, so why not?" the young woman replied, trying her best to sound brave and fearless. Inside, she was terrified what may be on the other side.

"Okay, well on the count of three, we'll barge in," he said. She nodded her head in response, they counted to three, and then threw open the doors before them. 

Vanille found the bedroom before her to be rather unremarkable, which was something she hadn't expected from the house of a wealthy man. There was a plain bed, dressers and a large closet, a private bathroom, but otherwise not much else. How could a murderer hide in there? Unless he was creeping behind the curtains. She carefully went into the bedroom, not taking her eyes off of the curtains. They were thick, but looked as if they were movies ever so slightly.

"Is someone in here? I'm going to find you," Vanille warned. She took a deep breath and threw back the curtain. A gust of wind burst into the room from the open window, caught the edge of the door and slammed it shut. She screamed, startled.

Raines heard Vanille scream, and in a panic he hurried out of the bedroom he was in and back into the hallway. He opened the door and looked around.

"You're okay!" he exclaimed. 

"I'm fine. The wind slammed the door and it startled me, that's all," she replied. "Thanks for coming to my rescue though." Raines nodded and finding no threat in that bedroom, they decided to check the other one together.

*************

After the disappointing venture into the empty recreation room, Lightning and Snow decided to give the greenhouse a try. It was a little unnerving looking in the dark, the only light coming from flashes of lightning outside. It must have been beautiful in the daylight, however. 

Lightning was looking around between the rows of plants, admiring a bush of red roses. They were her favorite, and it was a shame she couldn't take some with her. It was then that she heard Snow cry out.

"Ow, I almost hit my head." He was rubbing the back of his head with his big hand, trying not to sound like a wimp. "I was over here poking around in the shed and I guess I hit a button or something and the back of the wall slid open."

"Awfully convenient, isn't it?" she said in an accusatory tone. "Looks like a hallway. Let's see where it leads." She pushed her way past Snow, who was still rubbing the back of his head.

"Sure thing, ladies first," he mocked. They had only walked about ten feet before he decided to bite the bullet and break the silence. "So, uh Lightning?"

"What?" she asked, shortly.

"What did I do wrong here? You don't seem to like me very much at all."

"What did you do? You got my sister pregnant you dumb oaf. To make it worse, you lied about it!" she replied angrily.

"Lied about it?" he asked.

"Yes! You got married in secret after you got her pregnant - something that if I recall is illegal in Cocoon. Pregnancy out of wedlock, they call it."

"I, uh, well. I guess I don't have a defense on that one," he stammered. It looked like he was busted. "I didn't know you were her sister. I mean, she told me she had one but she said her name was Claire."

"That's my real name you dolt. Lightning is a code name. Let's just move on, I see something up ahead that looks like another doorway." Snow didn't say anything else until they reached what turned out to be a turning fireplace that had appeared to be set into the wall, concealing the secret passageway.

**********

"What's that? Who's yelling!?" Sazh cried, hearing a ruckus from upstairs somewhere.

"Sounds like Lightning and Snow. Let's get up there," Fang said, dashing up the stairs as she spoke, Sazh reluctantly on her heels.

"Hey! Watch where you're going!" Vanille shouted as she, Raines, Hope and Jihl all collided in the hallway as they rushed from the bedrooms and attic stairs.

"Where are you!?" Fang demanded loudly, finally detecting the source of the yelling. 

"We're in the Lounge! Get us out of here!" they heard Lightning yelling. Snow was pounding heavily on the door, which was still locked.

"How did you get in there?" Vanille asked, bewildered. "If it's locked, you shouldn’t be able to get in. Unless that guy let you in but then-" she trailed off when she realized nobody else was paying attention.

"Let them out, Raines!" Fang ordered, stepping away from the door. She watched as the butler frantically searched his pockets for the key.

"It isn't here! The key, it isn't in my pocket anymore!" he cried, pulling his pockets inside out. 

"Wait! Use this!" Jihl yelled, returning from the study with the handgun that had been given to Sazh earlier n the evening. She stood in the middle of the hallway about ten feet from the door and aimed. The others backed away yelling a warning to the two trapped on the other side of the door.

A loud bang echoed through the hallway, the lock on the door having exploded when the bullet hit.

"You can come out now," Jihl said sweetly, pointing the gun at the floor. Vanille yanked the door open to find Snow on all fours, swearing.

"I told you to get out of the way," Lightning scolded him, coming from around the wall where she stood safely away from the lock. He got up, shooting her a look of contempt.

"Look! Look what we found!" Snow yelled, trying to regain his composure. He was pointing at the body of the stranger they had let in the house earlier. He was on the floor, dead, the pair of strength enhancing gloves beside him. 

"Which one of you did it!?" Vanille squealed over top of Hope who was once again declaring his innocence. 

"Neither of us. We found him when we came through that secret entrance," Lightning said calmly, pointing at the fireplace.

"What are you talking about? There's nothing there but the fireplace!" Sazh said, walking up to it and poking at it as if he were searching for a hidden button. Suddenly it clicked and began to turn. "Whoa! What the-"

"Some sort of secret path. It came from the greenhouse shed," she explained; Snow cutting it to boast about his find.

"Wait, the gun!" Raines remembered. "The gun, how did you get the gun, Jihl? The cabinet was locked!"

"No, it wasn't! It was wide open," she answered him innocently.

"How did you know you could get to the gun? If it was supposed to be locked, how did you know it was open again?" Fang asked accusingly.

"I was actually going to see if there was anything in the study we could use to break the lock open, then noticed the cabinet and grabbed the gun. I didn't think about the fact we locked it earlier," Jihl defended. 

"Right," Lightning said with an air of suspicion. "Well thanks for the exit."

"What are we going to do about this one? It's like we're collecting corpses one by one," Sazh said, not even joking. Before an answer could be given, the door alarm went off.

"Oh no, what do we do?" Vanille asked, fear in her voice. "We can't let anyone else in here!"

"Maybe they'll just go away," Raines hoped. No such luck was had, however, as the signal went off again.

"I'm going to answer it," Hope announced.

"Why!?" Sazh cried in panic.

"I have nothing to hide! I know I didn't do it! And it's obvious we're in here; there's lights on everywhere. If we ignore it, it will seem suspicious." The young man stuck his hand out to Raines and accepted the keycard. He slid it through the lock and opened the door. Standing before them was an officer in Guardian Corps uniform.

"He- hello officer, how are you this evening?" Hope stammered, unsure of what to do. He hadn't expected a law officer to be at the door. The officer looked around cautiously at the guests gathered in the hallway.

"I found an abandoned transport down the road. I was wondering if perhaps they came to ask for help," the officer answered. "Some sort of party going on here?" he asked, looking at the guests again.

"Sure is! We're having a great time, in fact!" Vanille said, stepping forward and flashing him a bright smile.

"Mind if I come in and use your comm line? Mine's down because of the storm," the officer requested. Strange that everyone's comm lines were down that night.

"Why sure," Raines said, inviting the man in. "You can use the one in the- no, wait, the one in the - well, no. How about you use the one in the library a moment?" The officer shrugged and followed Raines to the library. "Help yourself to a drink if you like." He locked the door, shutting the officer inside.

"Why are you locking the officer in?" Hope asked, nervous.

"We haven't found the killer yet and-" Raines was interrupted by the officer banging on the door.

"Unlock this door! Right now!" the officer was yelling. "I will have you arrested for interfering with an officer in the course of duty! And murder!"

"What are you talking about murder?" Raines asked as he opened the door. "I forget this room has an auto-lock feature. We've been trying to remember to reprogram the locks but I guess this one got past me."

The officer looked around suspiciously. "I think I will just have a look around if you don't mind," he said. 

"You can show him around, Mr. Green," Vanille said, referring to his previous pseudonym, just for safety. "Officer, go with him so the rest of us can enjoy our evening. He's an excellent tour guide." She was flashing him her smile again.

"Right this way, sir. We'll start at the back and work our way front," Hope, once again Mr. Green, offered. The two disappeared down the hall toward the kitchen.

"What do we do now?" Lightning hissed. "We can't let him see the bodies."

"Hide them in the basement?" Snow suggested.

"Oh yes, because we can move three corpses to the empty basement where he can see them without even leaving the stairs. Genius idea!" Fang countered.

"I was just suggesting..." Snow mumbled. They had little else to argue over, however, as they could already hear the footsteps of their guest and his escort returning. They quickly dashed toward the study and lounge, Raines left alone in the middle of the hall.

"And what about those rooms there?" the officer asked, pointing at either side of the hall. Hope searched his mind quickly but could not respond before the man had already opened the study door.


	5. Chapter 5

Hope panicked inwardly, unsure of what was about to happen. He carefully followed the officer into the study, expecting to see the bodies on the couch. Instead, what he saw would almost have been funny had it been under different circumstances. 

Fang was hidden behind one of the curtains of a window; Lebreau propped in front of her, and Snow in front of the cook. They were shuffling about, Fang moving her arms so that it looked as if the cook and Snow were actually swaying back and forth in a quiet dance to the soft music playing from the speakers beside them. Lightning was on the couch on all fours, hovering over top of the corpse of Mr. Dysley, her face close to his, pretending to kiss him. She was carefully moving his arm behind her head so it looked like he was caressing her. She was trying her best not to vomit all over him and the corpse was already beginning to smell a little bit. The officer realized he was intruding on something private and quietly excused himself before heading across the hall. Hope took another peek at the room before leaving, surprised at their cleverness on short notice.

The sight in the lounge was similar - the first stranger propped up in a chair, looking asleep with a bottle of liquor in his hand. Sazh and Vanille were on the couch nearby, kissing feverishly, while Jihl stood off next to the table, polishing glasses. The officer again excused himself, seeing nothing out of the ordinary. When he turned around, Raines had returned to the hall from wherever he had been hiding himself.

"Officer, I can explain everything! You see-" Raines began, looking back at Hope with pleading in his eyes.

"There's nothing to explain. Everyone is just having a good time, that's all. I'll just be using that commlink now if you don't mind," he said, heading back to the library. Raines was bewildered as to why the officer didn't arrest them all upon seeing the corpses, but Hope quickly explained their cover. Raines locked the library door again.

"Why did you lock it again?" Hope asked.

"We need to keep searching the house. The Corps will be here in fifteen minutes!" Raines whispered.

"The Corps is already here," Snow argued, pointing back at the library.

"Shut up!" everyone hissed back at Snow. 

"Quickly now, let's finish searching before they get here," Raines ordered. The group split back into their pairs hurriedly.

**************

Snow and Lightning entered the well-lit kitchen. It looked empty, just as it had earlier in the night. Snow started rifling through the cabinets and drawers, searching for a snack. Lightning had already opened the freezer, despite knowing the cook had poured out of it before. There was nothing inside but a row of meat hooks mounted on the side of the icy closet.

"Look at this! Another passage," Lightning said, pushing in on the freezer backing. Snow came up behind her and followed her in. "I wonder where this one goes."

*****

Back down in the basement, Fang and Sazh had returned to searching for other doors along the walls. So far, nothing. Fang began weaving in and out of the large pieces of equipment; double-checking to make sure nobody could have been crouched down, keeping out of sight.

*****

Vanille and Raines returned to checking out bedrooms - they were on their third and fourth rooms. Both of them were just as plain as the ones they had already inspected.

*****

Hope and Jihl had gotten over their apprehension and as a pair, slowly ascended the stairs to the attic. It was a tight fit, but they managed to reach the top. It was just at that moment that the lights went out, and they heard a collective of yells and screams from down below.

****  
"Who cut the power!?" a voice demanded. "What's going on?" another cried. "I'm going to check the power panel," Jihl was heard whispering. Out of either shock or fear, everyone in the house stood as still as statues, waiting to figure out what to do, or if the power would come back on. A loud noise was heard; something like a gunshot and a slam. Another minute or two passed, and then the power came back on.

*****

Raines emerged from the door leading down to the basement, closing the latch on the circuit board that controlled the power to the house. Fang and Sazh were right behind him, Vanille, and Hope descending the stairs toward the hall, and Lightning and Snow emerging from the study, where the other passage had let out. All seven of them looked tired and worse for the wear. As a group, they silently opened the door to the library - the officer was dead, the spear impaling him through his chest. They walked past the rec room, pushing the door open, observing Jihl, laying on the pool table, also dead. Lastly, they opened the front door, the body of a young man lying on the steps, a gunshot wound to the forehead. The men pulled him inside and took his corpse to the study. Nobody had yet said a word. The tension was thick. It was Raines who finally broke the silence.

"Three more murders. Six overall," he said.

"Six deaths. There has to be a reason, unless one of us is a homicidal maniac," Sazh offered. Everyone was too worn out to respond.

"Maybe there was more than one murderer," Fang suggested.

"That would make sense!" Vanille added.

"Six murders. Six murderers," Raines said.

"How do you know?" Fang asked, entertaining the idea of multiple murderers.

"I know who did it," Raines said. 

"Who!?" everyone else cried at once.

"Well, so that everyone understands all of the events as they happened, I think it is imperative to go through the events of the night, step by step," Raines said. He began his very long-winded explanation with a breathless statement.

"When the evening began it was just myself, Jihl, and Lebreau. Jihl was in the lounge pouring drinks, Lebreau in the kitchen making dinner, and myself answering the door and greeting guests, who arrived in the order of Snow, Lightning, Fang, Hope, and Vanille and Sazh together." He finally took a deep breath and prepared himself for the next portion of his explanation.

"Once everyone was here, I reminded you all to use your aliases, we went on to dinner, and then reconvened in the study, where your crimes were revealed." Another deep breath, "Mr. Dysley handed out the weapons, turned off the lights, and when Fang turned them back on, he was in the floor dead. We heard Jihl screaming and went to help. This is where things get interesting."

The group chased after Raines, gathering in front of the rec room, looking over Jihl's dead body. "One of us was not here when we found Jihl, upset to find there was a murder."

"Who was not here?" Hope asked, looking around at everyone else. 

"Whoever it was, is the murderer," Raines went on. "While the rest of us stood here, talking with Jihl, one of us stayed in the study, picked up the dagger..." at that point, Raines ran to the kitchen, his hand positioned as if holding a knife in front of him, and opened the fridge and stabbed the cook that wasn't really there. "...and stabbed the cook, who was most likely washing dishes!"

"But that's too risky, we might have noticed if they came back all of a sudden," Sazh argued.

"Ah! But not if they used this secret passage!" Raines dashed into the passageway, the others following closely behind in a row. When they got to the end, there was a painting disguised as a door, and they all filed into the study. 

"We found that same passageway earlier, Snow and I," Lightning admitted. "We found it when we were searching the kitchen."

"No, you found it, I was looking for something to eat!" Snow said, wanting no implication with the murders. 

"She was with us when we were with Jihl, so it wasn't her," Hope reminded him. 

"Isn't the bigger question here, why was the cook murdered? She had nothing to do with all of this!" Fang interjected. 

"Did none of you realize that both Jihl and Lebreau were accomplices in this matter? They both knew secrets that they told Dysley that allowed him to blackmail you," Raines explained.

"So wait, that means... Jihl and the cook have a connection with two of us here!" Sazh announced. "So who is it!?"

"We will get to that," Raines said. "Moving on, while we were in here tending to the dead Lebreau, again one of us wasn't here!"

"Who is it!?" Lightning demanded pointedly. "Quit with the games and tell us who did it!"

"I'm getting there, be patient!" Raines yelled back, losing his calm composure for once. As I was saying, one of us wasn't here. As soon as we had our backs to the freezer, they exited through the same passageway, came out in the study, found Dysley attempting escape, and killed him. Again. I mean finally."

Raines then ran full speed while still going on his monologue. "While in the study we locked up the weapons, and prepared to throw away the key. When we opened the door we found the stranger who is now in the lounge."

"Well he's dead too, you're not suggesting that-" Sazh began. Raines was already nodding his head in the affirmative. "But-"

"How did he know to come here? It seems a little fishy that he showed up by chance," Hope asked. 

"I invited him, of course. Just like the six of you, I invited other guests, giving them each a role to play. The stranger, the officer, the delivery boy- they were all invited here," Rained explained. "Moving on!"

"No, wait! Who were they squealing on?" Hope questioned, not wanting to dodge the subject. Raines stopped and gave suspicious looks to both Lightning and Fang.

"The stranger was a man named Rygdea. I worked for him," Fang confessed. She sat down on a nearby bench as she spoke. “He was the one helping me get to the promotions I wanted. I bribed him. When I got as high as I wanted, I dropped him. I guess he got pissed.”

“I’d be pissed too, being used like that,” Snow commented. 

“How were you bribing him?” Hope asked. Fang gave him a glare that both silenced him and answered his question. Averting the awkward silence, Raines turned toward Lightning.

"The officer was Amodar, one of my fellow Guardian Corps officers. He was assisting in the weapon smuggling operation," Lightning admitted, leaning against the wall. “I thought he was trustworthy.”

“Well apparently he isn’t, is he?” Vanille asked sarcastically. 

“Be quiet,” Lightning snapped at the girl. She glared at her, Vanille oblivious to her anger.

"What about the delivery boy?" Hope continued with his questions. It was a shame that the youngest of the group was getting the most accomplished.

"He was my... we were involved at one point. He knew everything about me. But we broke up. I guess he was angry and told Mr. Dysley. But I didn't kill him!" Vanille cried. They hadn't gotten a good look at the delivery boy, but they took a closer look right then. He was about the same height as Vanille, messy blonde hair, and a mouth that was probably always smiling. 

"His name was Maqui," Vanille trailed off. “He didn’t deserve this.”

"What about Jihl, and the cook?" Hope went on, adding his questions, ignoring Vanille’s laments.

"Jihl... I... I had an affair with her. That's who was being referred to in the study earlier. It was her. I cheated on my wife with her, and when I broke it off, I guess she got angry and wanted revenge," Sazh said, burying his head in his hands.

“It looks like just about everyone of the accomplices was out for some sort of revenge for being tossed away, as if they meant nothing,” Lightning stated, mentally putting pieces of the puzzle together.

"And the cook? Snow? You're the only one left," Hope said.

"Lebreau was a friend of my wife's. She knew about our pregnancy and the marriage. She knew it all and when she had a fight with my wife, she threatened to turn us in. We begged her not to, but I guess she told anyway," Snow explained. “I suppose it could have been worse. She didn’t tell the Corps.”

"So that accounts for Jihl, Lebreau, the officer, the stranger, the deli- uh Maqui, but we still don't know who killed Dysley!" Fang said, irritated.

"Oh no, I know who killed Dysley," Raines reminded her.

"Who is it!?" everyone else shouted at him. He took a deep breath. Lightning gave him a threatening look - she, and everyone else, was tired of his charades, they wanted answers, and right then.

"Alright, alright. No more running around the house. The first murder was Mr. Dysley. When he turned off the lights, someone tried to shoot him, but Sazh insists it wasn’t him. So who was it? That, I am afraid, we never will know. I suspect it was the same person who killed him later," Raines started.

"The next murder was the cook," he began, but was promptly interrupted by Snow.

"Wait, you didn't finish the first one!" Snow interrupted.

"I'm going in order of what happened! Don’t interrupt me, sir." Snow, embarrassed, said nothing more and allowed Raines to continue. "As I was saying, the cook. Someone was not present at the rec room when we were talking to Jihl. That person lagged behind in the study, grabbed the knife, took the secret passage, snuck up on Lebreau, and stabbed her. He then took the same path back, joining the group just in time to not be noticed."

"Who was it?" Vanille asked meekly.

"It was Snow," Raines divulged. Everyone turned to stare at the man, some with fear, some with looks of surprise, and some with irritation. "He already told us how he knew her. He figured out she was the informant, and decided to get his revenge, isn't that right?"

"Yes," Snow admitted. "There's no lying about it. I... did it. But I didn't kill the others!"

“Probably not. I bet everyone killed the person who told on them. It’s the most logical explanation, don’t you think?” Hope deduced. “Go on Mr. Raines.”

“Of course. After we moved her to the study we were interrupted by the stranger – Rygdea. I noted a look of recognition in his eyes when we opened the door. At that point we locked him up. Later, he was found dead.”

“Yes, I did it, if you didn’t figure it out by now. I killed him. But he had it coming for what he did,” Fang professed. 

“Nobody deserves to die, Fang,” Hope replied. “You weren’t exactly innocent either.”

“I’m getting just a little bit tired of you, kid,” Fang hissed. She leaned up against the wall and turned her head away. 

“Following that, the officer arrived shortly after, to which we locked him up as well. And then-“

“-and then the power went out and three more murders!” Vanille squealed.

“Yes, three more murders. Jihl, killed by Sazh, and the officer killed by Lightning,” Raines explained. “It really is simple deduction and logic, then isn’t it ladies and gentlemen?”

“Wait! You didn’t say who killed Maqui,” Vanille shouted. “It wasn’t me! I loved him despite it all! The only one I killed was Dysley, and that was because he was the blackmailer! You would think that would be appreciated.” She crossed her arms and turned away from the crowd. 

“I didn’t do it!” Hope cried, everyone turning to look at him, the only one who had yet to commit a murder.

“He’s right. He didn’t do it,” Raines said, a blank look crossing his face.

“Then who did? If he didn’t do it, and Vanille - the one directly linked to him – didn’t do it, then who?” Lightning demanded. 

“I shot him,” Raines said flatly. He pulled the gun from his pocket and tossed it on the floor in front of them. “It’s empty, useless now.”

“What!? Why!?” Vanille yelled, running up to Raines. The others held her back, suddenly getting a very dangerous feeling in the air.

“I must thank you all, really. You see, you did all the dirty work for me,” Raines announced.

“What are you talking about, Raines?” Snow yelled, his face contorting in anger, his fists raised before him.

“If you recall, I noted that Mr. Dysley had blackmailed me. Had turned me into a slave to his whims. I resolved to put an end to it all.”

“Okay, so keep going. I’m confused,” Sazh said, scratching his head.

“The only way to end his ‘reign of terror’ was to get rid of him and his entire network of blackmail. His accomplices. Without them, he had no sources of information. With him dead, they were free to take their information elsewhere. I couldn’t allow that,” Raines went on. Stares all around faced him and he continued, still blank.

“Now all that’s left is his victims. Once the victims are disposed of, there is nothing else left. Every trace of him and his scheme will be wiped away, leaving me to lead my life without fear.”

“Wait, are you saying-?” Hope asked. Fang answered before Raines could. “Yes, kid. He intends to kill us, too.”

“Why? What good will that do!? We don’t want any part of this big scheme. Why can’t we all just leave, the bodies can rot for all I care,” Lightning yelled at him. “We should all just leave, forget about this ever happened, and move on. Why do we have to die?”

“I already told you. To wipe out every trace of his scheme. Including his informants and his victims. All of you,” he looked around the room, pausing to meet eyes with each of the victims.

“The gun is empty. You said so yourself. All the weapons are accounted for – with their corpses. So what do you plan to do then, huh?” Snow asked, nervous.

Raines didn’t answer. Instead, his body began to glow a pale blue color. His eyes went solid white, and his skin seemed to solidify.

“Whoa, what’s going on?” Lightning asked, the entire group backing away. She was answered with Raines raising his hand and sending out a blast of electricity at her chest, knocking her backward. 

“Oh shit!” Fang exclaimed. “Run!” At that, everyone began bolting for the various rooms in the house. Fang ducked into the Study just as Raines threw a stream of fire in her direction. She dodged in time, the metal doorframe turning black from the heat. Annoyed, he turned his attention to Snow, who just barely slid into the rec room as yet another bolt was tossed from Raines. He pulled the door shut behind him. 

“Hiding will do you no good,” Raines said in a strange voice. “I will find you, and I will kill you.”

“Oh no you won’t!” Vanille cried, jumping onto his back. She had taken cover in the library, making her move when he was focused on Snow. He reached behind him, grabbing the woman’s clothes and slamming her onto the hall floor. 

“Stupid girl! You can’t overtake me!” Just as he was about to send a point blank blast of energy at her, a bullet bounced off of his hand, stopping his attention on her. “That gun is empty!” he shouted.

“Apparently there was one more shot left! You can plan murder but you can’t count! Pretty sad,” Sazh mocked him. He still had the gun in his hand when he was blasted backwards, smashing into the recovering Lightning. 

“Keep hiding. Keep fighting back. It will get you nowhere. You only prolong your deaths,” Raines announced, looking around. “Now, where’s that boy…?”

“Right here, Mr. Raines,” Hope said, standing in front of the main door. 

“I hope you don’t think you’re going to get out that way It’s locked,” Raines said, smiling for the first time. “You will meet your death, here and now.” He raised his hand, the glowing blue of energy building up. 

“No, I don’t think so,” Hope replied. Suddenly, the door behind him slid open and an army of Corps officers swarmed into the room. They began shooting at Raines with guns and lasers, sending him flying to the ground. He was weak, the barrage of weaponry taking its toll on his body. “I suppose the only thing you didn’t count on, Mr. Raines, is that I was working for the Corps. I was the perfect choice. Nobody would suspect a teenager to be a threat.” He took one of the guns from one of the Corps officers. He looked around as officers were leading the others from their hiding places in hand grips, the flashes of cameras taking pictures of the crimes scenes going off. 

“It looks like even though your plan fell apart, you’re still going to be free of this nightmare,” the teenager said, holding the gun to the fallen man’s forehead. “Good night, Mr. Raines.” With that, he pulled the trigger, the bullet hitting the man square in the forehead, his eyes closing in death. Hope smiled and turned to the Corps officers.

“Good job, son,” a middle aged man said, stepping forward. He was dressed in a suit and tie and his face slightly resembled the boy’s. “I’m proud of you.”

“Thank you, dad.” Hope turned around and looked at the group of criminals. “It looks like I did do it after all. I shot Mr. Raines, in the hall, with the gun.” He turned away and looked at his father. “Dad, I think I’m going home to be with my girlfriend.”

Everyone stared at him, confused, except for his father. Girlfriend?


End file.
